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Spent much of this last week getting familiar with Twitter. Learned a lot and a lot
to learn. Too soon to tell whether there is much benefit to the time, energy and
thought that goes into Twittering or Tweeting. Part of the process is just learning
the lingo. I found my way to twictionary. That helped.

However, as you may know, when you Tweet (post) on Twitter, you are confined
to 140 characters for your tweet. That gives rise to a whole shorthand of
abbreviations. More to learn. Now, you may think that I am down on Twitter.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. I think it is fascinating and has the
potential for being the engine for a whole new world of communication and
collaboration.

Because of my personal bio and the tweets I have posted, it is fairly clear to
others that a primary interest of mine is in how to use Twitter to make extra
income and to learn how to show others how to use it for the same purpose.

However, too much selling or promoting is surefire way to be unsuccessful.
You have to write, share and respond in such a way that other tweeters
will grow to know, like and trust you. Developing a reputation for honesty
is critical. Distinguishing your personality from the crowd is also of great
importance. I’ve found that Twitter is a good place to let your hair down
- even, as in my case, you are bald.

Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networking sites. A raft of
tools is available to increase the ease of use and reduce the time necessary
to make effective use of the social networking potential. The jury is still
out on the ROI but that is a very individual matter because Twitter is
a very personal community and each user brings a different set of needs
and purposes to the community.

As we go along in this blog, I will be sharing my experiences with you
and, I hope, you will be sharing your thoughts, feelings and experiences
with the rest of us as well.

I’m excited about the potential in a lot of respects but cautious about the
time demands. Time will tell. When it does, I’ll let you know what I am finding
out.To start with I am installing a TwitterCounter plugin to let you know
how many “followers” I have attracted to my SeniorTweet page. (292 total
so far).

There’s a lot to write about - let me know what you think about it and
what you would like to know about Twitter. Just realize it may be a while
before the Twitter Bird is eating out of my hand.

- Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger.

Please follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet

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Thanks for your contribution - participation increases the value of the blog for everyone.

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Hi! I’m Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger. I am a senior, a blogger
and a writer. This blog is my primary blog. If you want more information read on but
the proof of the pudding is in the content - regardless of who writes or designs it or
their background … Correct?

My Focus: Helping seniors, boomers, teachers and small businesses
earn extra income using the tools, resources and networking of the internet. My
primary medium is the blog because it is the easiest to get up and running and
requires the least assistance to do well. Because blogs develop traffic faster,
they are the well suited to monetizing - making money. If you can’t create
product - then blog. If you can create product - do so - and then market it
with a blog.

Work experience: I’m a lifelong educator having taught at all levels
from elementary school (computers), to high school (English, Government and
Economics) to undergraduate (Administrative Law and Collective Bargaining) to
graduate school (School Law for Teachers and Personnel Administration).
I’ve supervised student teachers and administrative interns in a school
administration program. I’ve also taught in several universities and in their extension
programs for armed forces personnel.

I also have employee relations experience that includes negotiating for both
unions and management with both classified and teacher unions. Additional labor
relations experience includes serving as a state public employment hearing officer,
mediator, factfinder and arbitrator.

Education:
BA History and Political Science, University of Michigan.
MA Education Administration, University of Michigan.
JD Law, School of Law, University of Michigan.

Family:
My wife Jan Spangler is a fine artist. We have been happily married for 45 years.
We have two wonderful daughters and two granddaughters. I am a fortunate man
indeed - with a wonderful family and a home filled with the highest quality of fine art.
But don’t take my word for it - visit Jan’s websites and see for yourself.
Jan Spangler Fine Art and Jan Spangler Watercolors .

Again, welcome to this site. Please comment and contribute. Together we’ll make
this blog a high quality, value added internet experience for both boomers and seniors
… and to anyone younger who isn’t above listening to and learning from their elders.
That last sentence sounds like an “old fart” talking. By the way, I am one of those too.

- Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger

Please follow me on Twitter: @SeniorTweet and http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet

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